Business and Pleasure
by Elli Vaughn
Summary: Christian and Elias meet a girl at their school who has a little business proposition for them. HET, OC


Title: Business and Pleasure

Author: Elli Vaughn

Fandom: In A Better World/Haevnen

Christian/Elias/OC (Line – pronounced "Lina")

HET

Summary: Christian and Elias meet a girl at their school who has a little business proposition for them.

Story rating: M

Chapter 1 Rating: T

A/N: Just another little experiment with writing for this movie. This one's het, though I'm working on another Christian/Elias slashfic for you slash fans out there. This one will be about 3 chapters, nothing crazy.

Christian and Elias met Line when Sofus dared her to French kiss Elias in the schoolyard in front of a crowd of onlookers for a prize of 65 kroner. Line had been sitting on the low stone wall reading a book (_Det Forsømte Forår) _but looked up when Sofus called to her with his proposition. She glanced toward Sofus, then at the boy he was pointing at: a kid about 2 or 3 years her junior with shaggy brown hair and large blue eyes. He clutched his backpack nervously and looked as if he wished a hole would open in the earth and swallow him. Line sighed. She could use the money; it had been a week since she'd had a cigarette. Weighing the options in her mind, Line decided the prospect wasn't all that bad. The kid was a bit cute, if completely terrified looking. She climbed down from the wall to a swell of cheers and catcalls from the students. Ignoring them, she shoved her book into her bag and walked over to Sofus.

"Well?" asked Sofus.

"Him?" Line gestured to Elias with a slight raise of her chin.

"Yeah. Rat Face. And it has to be French to get the 65."

"Rat Face?"

Sofus laughed. "Just look at him!"

Line didn't see anything out of the ordinary about the boy; he wore a retainer but that fact was neither here nor there to Line.

"Yeah, okay," she said to Sofus, and a hearty round of whistles and jeers erupted from the gathering crowd.

Line walked up to Elias and noted that he was taller than her. She liked that. "You okay with this?" she asked him.

He hesitated, then nodded shyly. It wasn't like he had much choice.

There was nothing left to do but kiss him. Line contemplated her approach for a moment, then took hold of the straps of Elias's backpack and gently but purposefully tugged him toward her. Their lips touched softly and Lina was surprised at how warm and sensuous his mouth felt upon hers. She barely registered the screaming crowd around her as she parted her lips and gently swept Elias's lips with the tip of her tongue. He didn't respond in kind so Line repeated the maneuver, this time with more insistence. She was rewarded with the slight parting of his lips and took advantage of her opportunity to deepen the kiss. As their tongues met, Lina was shocked and annoyed to find herself becoming aroused. She hadn't gone into this intending to have it mean anything or affect her in any way other than getting to buy some smokes. The sensations that now flooded her body meant trouble. Fuck.

She was still holding the straps of his backpack as she pulled away from him, ending the afternoon's schoolyard entertainment. Elias looked into her eyes and Line did not like what she saw there: the unmistakable expression of wonder mixed with a heady lust. Jesus. What had she done?

She abruptly let him go as Sofus walked over to her with the 65 kronor offered for her job well done. "Keep it," she said, and turned away from the spectacle, leaving Elias and company thoroughly confused.

Sofus's voice rose above the crowd's murmurs, stating what they all felt: "What the fuck was THAT?"

Line fought the urge to look back at Elias and kept walking. Not only had she stupidly refused her payment and couldn't afford a fag, but this boy, this _kid _was on her mind. Stupid, _stupid_, she reprimanded herself. She quickened her pace and headed home.

"Was that your first kiss?" asked Christian, once the crowd had dispersed and he and Elias were alone.

"Huh?" Elias asked, obviously still thinking about what had just happened.

"You ever kissed a girl before that?"

"No," he said.

"Well, at least she was pretty. Real pretty. How was it?"

Elias looked over at his friend. He hadn't had time to really digest the whole thing yet, and didn't know what to think. One thing he knew, and that was Line was a great kisser. Not that he had anyone to compare her to, but what she had made him feel was pretty amazing. He'd become so focused on her that his embarrassment dissipated halfway through the kiss and he had felt himself responding to her in ways that were not proper for public display. Then she'd refused the payoff; he wondered why she had taken the dare in the first place.

"I don't know."

"What?"

"I gotta think," said Elias.

"About what? I wish shit like that happened to me," Christian said as they walked to their bikes.

"You want Sofus to dare some girl to make out with you in front of _everybody_?"

"If it was _that_ girl, I wouldn't mind," said Christian.

Elias remained silent and just shrugged.

Christian shook his head. "Well, I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Elias, already deep in thought.

"Hey, wake up – you're gonna ride straight into a tree with that goofy look on your face." He paused, then continued. "Man, you're fucked."

"What do you mean?"

"Girls. That's what I mean. See you." Christian mounted his bike and rode off. Elias looked in the direction he'd seen Line take and decided to go looking for her instead of going straight home. He was overcome with the urge to see her again and the question of why she had turned down the money became impossible to ignore. He could use that as an excuse to talk to her, ask her why. He told himself he was being completely logical and reasonable as he turned onto the bike path on the main road that led away from the school and into the suburbs.

Scenarios of kissing Line again played out in Elias's mind the rest of the day. He'd ridden his bike for the better part of an hour before giving up and heading home. The girl had virtually disappeared and Elias felt a pang of fear that he might not see her again. In fact he couldn't remember having ever seen her before that afternoon when Sofus called her over. Sofus obviously knew her since he'd called her by name. Were they friends? No, probably not since she'd acted somewhat disdainfully when dealing with him. But they knew each other somehow, that was clear. Christian knew she went to their school, so there was that. Finding out more was going to prove challenging.

Elias retreated to his room when he got home, dodging his mother's questions about where he'd been and why he was late. He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling for quite some time before getting up and locking his bedroom door. His mom was pretty intrusive and he didn't need her barging in and interrupting his "personal time." He lay back on the bed, unbuttoned his jeans, took himself in hand and thought about Line.

Line headed for school, hoping she wouldn't see either Sofus or his little friend again. She steered clear of her usual spot on the stone wall and instead kept her head down and rushed inside to her first class. She should have graduated already, but between problems at home (drunk father, absentee mother) and academic indifference, she was going through the motions and doing what was expected of her. Barely scraping by, she'd at least have a shot at getting out of there this time around. Summer lingered only weeks away and with that, freedom. She'd just turned seventeen and would have to get a job soon and get serious about her future. For now though, she hoped she could make the most of this last summer.

Then there was that boy and the terribly naughty thing she'd done the day before.

When school ended, Line didn't hang around. Walking purposefully past groups of kids and ignoring their comments ("She kissed that boy yesterday, did you see?" "God, what a slut!"), Line glanced up only once and she wished she hadn't. The boy and a friend of his were just down the street and it was too late, they'd both seen her. She slowed down considerably to weigh her options. The boy was speaking to his friend, the friend looked towards her, then looked back and said something. They seemed to be arguing. Finally the friend nodded and headed her way. Great.

Line stopped walking and waited for him to reach her. She wanted to get whatever this was over with.

"Hey," said the friend. He was an attractive guy with golden brown hair and a serious look about him.

"What is it?" Line asked impatiently.

"My name's Christian," he said. "That's Elias."

Line looked around him and watched Elias for a beat. He hung back shyly but watched her intently.

"So?"

"So….uh…we were wondering…"

"I'm Line. Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Well, that was one thing," he replied.

"Seventeen is the answer to your next question, I believe."

"Damn."

"Held back. Yeah. Anything else?"

"We uh, Elias I mean, he was telling me he wanted to apologize for what happened."

"What for?"

"Just letting you get involved, I guess. Sofus really hates him. Me, too. But at least he doesn't come after me the way he does with Elias sometimes."

"Sofus is a waste of space," she said bluntly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I was wondering though, why you didn't take the money."

"I've been asking myself that all day so when I figure it out you'll be the first to know." Line looked over at Elias again. "Does he want to talk to me?"

"He's pretty shy."

"Jesus." Line wished for the twentieth time that she'd accepted the 65 because she desperately craved a smoke. Against her better judgement, she headed over to Elias. "Come on," she told Christian.

"This is Line," said Christian when they'd caught up with Elias.

"Hey," he managed to say, barely looking at her.

"I don't bite," she said. "Unless you want me to."

Elias looked at her, shocked.

"Joke."

"Yeah," he said, resuming his foot gazing.

"Well, this has been fun but I gotta go find some smokes so I'll see you guys around," said Line, turning away.

"Wait a sec," said Christian. "I think I know where to get some."

"So do I – the store."

"Seriously, for free I mean."

"Free is good. Where?"

"This friend of my Dad's – they always have a smoke together when they're talking business. I think they have cigars—"

Line wrinkled her nose. "No."

"I can check for cigarettes. He's still at work now; he doesn't come home til at least six."

"Fine. Whatever," she said, hitching her bag up on her shoulder. "Let's go then."

Christian and Elias left their bikes at school in favor of drawing out their time with Line. She was mysterious and older – seventeen felt like ten years instead of just three. There was something about her that Christian found intriguing; she kept to herself and was careful with sharing personal information. She looked to be very comfortable at school and confident in herself – enough to take on the cheers and jeers from her schoolmates and shrug it all off. It was as if she didn't belong there and knew it – everyone knew it. She was the only girl who could have pulled off that little stunt the day before and walked away unscathed.

"Do you know Sofus?" Christian asked when they'd been walking in silence for a while.

"He's one of my ex-boyfriend's mates."

"You're not friends though, right?" he pressed.

"No, we're not friends. I'd never be friends with a guy like that."

"Good."

"I've done business with guys like that, but that's business."

"Business?" Christian's interest piqued.

"Just some stuff," she said.

"You sell things?"

"You could say that, sort of."

"What do you sell?"

"Enough with the questions, okay? Where the hell do you live, anyway? We've been walking for fucking EVER."

"It's not much farther; you can hang out a while if you want and my Dad can drive you back home."

"With his stolen cigs in my pocket? Not likely."

"He won't know."

Christian walked closer to her so that their hands touched every now and then. He tried to make it seem accidental but somehow he guessed she knew what he was doing and didn't call him on it. Testing the waters, he thought.

They arrived at Christian's place and quietly entered. He led Elias and Line up to his small bedroom and once inside, Lina sat on the edge of the bed while Elias took a chair opposite her.

"You guys stay here and I'll go have a look for the stuff," said Christian. Maybe it wasn't a great idea leaving Elias alone with Line, but he left the room before Elias had a chance to protest. If he wanted to get to know this girl, he was going to have to be forced to actually talk to her. Christian felt attracted to Line but he knew Elias was interested so he felt obligated to at least let him have his chance. If (when) he failed, Christian could have his own turn with no hard feelings. Christian didn't tell Elias that he didn't think Line was his "type," since it was already very obvious. Now he just needed to find some fags so they could all relax. He'd only ever smoked a couple of times prior, but always when alone.

He rummaged through his father's humidor and then a few boxes of cigars until he found a carton of cigs. He grabbed one pack, closed the box and headed back upstairs. He could hear Elias and Line talking before he even reached the door. Taking a deep breath, he twisted the knob and slipped inside, locking the door behind him.

"Party time," he said and handed over the pack.

"You did it!" Line said excitedly. She smiled for the first time since Christian had first seen her, and he thought she looked even more beautiful for it. She stood up and pulled at the cellophane. "Got a light?"

"Fuck," said Christian.

"Kitchen matches?" Line suggested.

"Yeah," said Christian, leaving the room again. When he returned with the matches, Line and Elias were once again talking.

"It's kind of business proposition," he heard Line say as he opened the door. Elias looked worried as usual.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I was just telling Elias about a little freelance job I have," said Line.

"Yeah, you mentioned that earlier. What is it?"

"I mess around with guys for money."

"Fucking hell – you're a prostitute?" Christian couldn't help blurting it out.

"I don't like to think of it that way. I don't do business with just anybody – I have some standards."

"You said you did business with guys like Sofus – that's not very high standards."

"That was a long time ago and I've since redesigned my business plan. Now I'm more of an educator, you could say." Line struck one of the matches against the box and lit her cigarette with the flame. "And I don't always go very far. Most guys are afraid to, anyway. At least the guys in this town."

"So why did you give back the money?" asked Elias, finally piping up again.

"If I'd kept it, it would just satisfy Sofus, right? He'd be out some money but he would be in control, right?"

Christian didn't get it. "You should have kept the money."

"Sofus was calling Elias "rat face" or something, so he was obviously trying to build a case and get people on his side. He wants to humiliate Elias in front of the school. If I had taken the money, it would have been just another day and just another bet for him. Which is what I was going to do, by the way. Makes no difference to me. But then," she took a long drag on her cigarette. "I liked it."

"Liked what?" asked Elias, leaning in.

"The 'experience'. You're a pretty good kisser, Elias."

Christian laughed and Elias turned red.

"Nothing to be ashamed of."

"That was his first kiss," said Christian.

"Thanks, Christian!" said Elias. "Geez."

"Then you're already ahead in the game," said Line kindly, touching Elias's knee.

"So let me get this right – you sleep with guys for money but you're not a prostitute?"

"I told you, I don't go that far with most guys. That's very rare and only special circumstances. Plus I have to be really sure of the guy for that. Mostly it's just kissing and touching, handjobs and stuff like that."

"How long you been doing that?" asked Elias.

"A couple of years. I didn't know what I was getting into at first, though."

"How did it start?" asked Christian.

"A friend of my dad's came over looking for him one time and decided to stay and wait. Dad was out at the bar or whatever – he's usually out getting into trouble, anyway. So this guy starts talking to me, flirting with me and all. I'm fourteen at the time – almost fifteen but still. He starts offering me stuff, saying he'd like to take me camping and we'd have such a great time. You know how that goes. So he tells me he will give me 300 something kroner for just a kiss. I'm fourteen, I have no way of making any money and my parents weren't giving me an allowance or anything, so I said okay. It was kinda gross, but I got my money."

"That's disgusting," said Elias. Christian and Line looked at him. "Just that it was your dad's friend and all, I mean."

"Well that's where it started."

"Did you sleep with that guy?"

"No, not him. He was too chicken shit to go that far, but I knew he wanted to."

"Jesus," said Christian.

"Elias and I were talking a little about it and I was thinking of offering you two a deal, if you're interested and you can get your hands on some stuff."

"A deal?"

"Yeah, if you could get me more cigs and some cash, I could give you guys a few uh, lessons. Know what I mean?" She looked to Christian, then to Elias.

"Thought you didn't want to take money for kissing Elias," said Christian.

"Funny," said Line, though she didn't smile. "That was for Sofus's bet. Different arrangement."

Line stood up and walked to the door. Christian still stood just inside it so they were almost nose-to-nose. If he leaned forward just an inch, he could have been kissing her. He held her gaze for a second too long.

"Elias, come here a sec," she said. Elias complied, jumping up. Line looked from one to the other. "Yeah, you guys will do. So let me know, okay? Tomorrow."

Christian was about to tell her "ok" when she moved in close to him and gave him a quick, soft kiss on the lips. She did the same to Elias, then left the room. Both boys stood in shock and silence for a minute and Christian only moved once he'd heard the front door open and close.

"Oh my God," said Elias. "I think I'm in love." A smile spread across his face and he flopped down on Christian's bed.

Christian shook his head at his friend. "That's two for you, I gotta catch up now."

"Huh?"

"She kissed you twice now."

"Yeah," said Elias dreamily.

"Shit, Elias, we can't do this, Elias. It's crazy."

"What?" Elias sat up. "You're the one who's always pushing the limits. You're the one who keeps telling me to try new things. Now you say it's crazy?"

"Not that we'll get in trouble since I mean we're not as old as she is or anything but I don't know. If you like her and all, I don't think it's a good idea for both of us to get involved with her. And she's only offering this business idea to get stuff, not because she likes us."

"How do you know she doesn't like us?" Elias countered. "And anyway, why does that matter?"

"It's business to her, she said it herself."

Elias thought about it a while. "I still want to do it, though."

"Well YOU don't have access to cigs like I do and I'm pretty sure you don't have any money, either."

"I could get some," said Elias.

Christian sighed. "All right. Fuck. Leave it to me. This is a bad idea, though."

"I don't care," said Elias, smiling.

"Famous last words," said Christian. _We're all going to end up fucked one way or another_, he thought.


End file.
